Road-cart



UN TED STATES PATENT FFICE.

IlUGIl DUFFEY, OF CORTLAND, NElV YORK.

ROAD-CART.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 443,222, dated December 23, 1890.

Application filed May 3, 1890. Serial No. 350,416. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HUGH DUFFEY, residing at Cortland, in the county of Cortland and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Road-Carts, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to wheeled vehicles of the class known as sulkies or roadcarts.

The object of the invention is to produce a road-cart in which the horse motion, as it is called, shall be as little as possible; also to reduce side strain on the spring.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a roadcart with this invention embodied, part being broken away. Fig. 2 is a broken side elevation of the seat and support and some of the connections. Fig. 3 is a rear view of adetail of spring-bar and link. Fig. 4 is a sectional detail of spring-bar and link. Fig. 5 is a side view of one shaft and foot-bar connection. Fig. 6 is a section of shaft and broken end view of foot-bar connection.

The numeral 1 indicates the seat of my road-cart.

2 2 are the wheels, and 3 the axle. The shafts 4t 4 are firmly connected to the axle in the usual manner, so that the body of the spring is in the vertical plane of the axle. All this is common in road-carts.

A spring-bar 6 is held to the crown of the spring in usual manner, as by bolts or shackles. A rigid link 7 is pivoted to each end of this bar, and the lower end of this link or pendulum is pivoted to the brace 8, which ext-ends down from the seat and forward to the foot-bar 9. It will be understood that the links, braces, and foot-bars are alike at both sides of the cart. The upper end of link 7 may be held to the spring-bar by a bolt 10, or in other manner, so that the link may rock slightly about its pivot. The lower end of the link will preferably have a boss or crank-arm 11, which fits a socket in the brace 8. As the seat 1 is directly connected to the foot-bars 9 and the foot-bars are connected directly or indirectly to the shafts 4, it follows that the rising or falling of the seat will naturally be in a curve the center of which is the front end of the foot-bars or their point of connection to the shafts. Thus the seat movement would tend to twist the spring out of its proper position perpendicularly above the aXle if the spring were rigidly connected to the seat. The swinging links 7 obviate this tendency, so that the seat may rise and fall in an arc, while the spring rises and falls in a plane, and the tendency to cramp, loosen, or strain the spring is overcome. The links 7 also prevent the seat movement from twisting the spring, however the seat may be connected to the shafts.

It has been common to connect the front ends of bars 9 either to the shafts at or to the cross-bar let, which connects the shafts, and in some cases a spring-connection is provided. I make a connection between the front of the bars 9 and the shafts, which permits a free vertical play to the front ends of bars 9 independent of the shaft movement.

To shaft 4: a leaf-spring 16 is bolted or otherwise attached. The spring 16 has downwardly extending knuckles 17, which are slotted perpendicularly. The end of bar 9 rest-s between these knuckles, and a pin or bolt 18 passes through the end of the bar and plays freely up and down in the slots in the knuckles. The normal or theoretical position of this pin 18 is in the center of the slots in knuckles 17. Then if the horse motion causes theshafts to'rise the bar 9 will not be moved by such rising until the lower ends of the slots strike the pin. Conversely a down movement of the shafts will not move the bars until the upper ends of the slots strike the pin. The knuckles being connected to a spring-bar 16 will yield somewhat when the pin strikes either end of the slot. The tendency of the rider is to balance the seat, so that the footbars 9 (connected rigidly to the seat) take a central position with reference to the slotted knuckles. If the foot-bars be depressed or elevated, the tendency of the slotted connection will be to diminish the vertical motion communicated by the shafts to the foot-bars and seat. It will be apparent that other connections will permit the lost motion between the foot-bars and the shafts. A reversal of position of the knuckles will be an equivalent construction. The slot-and-pin connection permits absolutely free vertical play between the front end of the foot-bars and the shafts to the extent of the length of the slots without any restraint from the spring 1 In fact, if the piece 16 be made rigid the free motion of the foot-bars to the extent of the length of the slot will not be interfered with.

Heretofore it has been common to connect the front of the foot-bars to the shafts by means of springs. By my loose or free connection I do not mean such a connection as permits movement by overcoming the e1asticity of a spring.

hat I claim is 1. The combination of the spring and its bar, the seat and its brace, and pivoted links connecting said bar and brace, each link having a boss which enters a socket in said brace 

